WHY IS YOUR CONTENT NOT GENERATING A RETURN?
Some
say that ‘content is king’. This view is supported by research
suggests that 96% of marketing decision-makers believe content
marketing is an effective component of their marketing strategy and
that some 70% of marketers are investing in content marketing.
Research has also found that the average US brand spends 41% of their
overall marketing budget on content marketing. One study even found
that 90% of consumers expect brands to publish content. Despite all
of this, other studies have found that only:
-
42% of B2B
marketers consider their content effective
-
43% of B2C
marketers consider their content effective
This
suggests, to me at least that the majority of content is not
considered effective. Part of the reason for this might be the 25% of
marketers using content marketing but lacking a content marketing
strategy. They establish why content marketing fails to achieve its
objectives, where it does fail, four ‘experts’ were considered.
Following are the critical points made by these experts.
EXPERT 1
-
The absence of a
documented content marketing strategy
-
A lack of
completely factual, authentic, and compelling information
-
A poor
understanding of the role of search engine optimisation
-
A failure to
allocate a budget above a threshold
-
A failure to
actively and strategically promote the content
-
A lack of patience
– not allowing sufficient time for results to flow
EXPERT 2
-
The lack of a
strategy or plan of attack
-
A failure to
customise content to the audience
-
The content is not
unique or well-differentiated
-
A failure to make
the content SEO friendly
-
A lack of content
promotion
-
A failure to
monitor and analyse what is and is not working
-
Giving up on
content marketing too soon
EXPERT 3
-
The content is not
relevant to the target audience
-
The content is
less than timely and current
-
The use of less
than optimal channels for the target audience
-
A failure to
consistently publish content
EXPERT 4
-
A failure to
refine the strategy over time based on data
-
A failure to
devote an adequate budget to content marketing
-
A failure to
adequately promote the content
-
The content fails
to add tangible value
-
Targeting the
wrong or a challenging niche
-
Forgetting to
achieve cut-through in an environment with a dominant competitor
-
Not allowing
enough time for the strategy to take effect
-
An inadequate SEO
strategy
-
Setting the
content marketing expectations too high
-
No having fun with
content – and allowing this to become evident
It
is apparent from these four lists that there are many factors to
consider if a business is to maximise the return on its investment in
content. Content is not king – unless it is quality content.
Quality content can deliver very significant dividends. Low-quality
content is a waste of time. I would argue that the most critical
issues are:
-
Having a strategy
and integrating it into the overall marketing strategy
-
Knowing whom to
target and understanding that very market week
-
Adopting a unique
positioning and offering distinctive content
-
Adding value in
everything that is published
-
Using the right
format – and especially video, wherever possible
-
Giving the
strategy six months to a year to hit its straps
-
Supporting the
beginning of the strategy with promotional dollars
-
Writing in a
language that is relevant to the target market
-
Monitoring the
results and modifying the strategy accordingly
-
Taking into
account all SEO requirements
Content
has a great deal to offer, and while it is appropriate for most
businesses to manage their own content, some need assistance with
this and most need assistance with the strategy.